Whether it was the infamous rabble rousers of the 1970s or the 21st century gang of old rockers who clung to those sleazy ideals yesteryear, the
Hollywood Vampires
were known for one thing: debauchery. It was a good time, but only if you were part of the inner circle. The
Vampires
roamed through the bars of L.A. in the '70s and the group -- anchored by
Alice Cooper
,
Joe Perry
, and
Johnny Depp
-- sought to resurrect that same sense of hedonistic anarchy on their 2015 album. Part of the trick with that record is that they relied on tunes from the time, which gave the record a sense of a high-end jam session when a bunch of fellow stars decided to drop into the studio. The
flip that equation on
Rise
, relying on original material from
Cooper
Perry
Depp
. Covers are still here, usually sung by
as if he was whiling away a Wednesday night at a Sunset Strip karaoke bar: he rambles through
David Bowie
's "Heroes" and recites
Jim Carroll
's "People Who Died" with a glassy-eyed affect.
steps in front of the mike for a by-the-book version of
Johnny Thunders
' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory," which leaves a lot of space for
to cavort and camp. "We Gotta Rise," the record's neo-title track, is a winking rallying call to overthrow, and "Welcome to the Bushwackers" is an absurd shuffle that finds room for a lithe
Jeff Beck
solo. He's the only true guest here --
John Waters
is credited on "Bushwackers," but it's impossible to hear him -- and that reduced guest list indicates how
doesn't much feel like a party. Not only were there not many musicians hanging in the studio this time, but all of
seems stitched together on the computer, with each of the three core members doing their part when they cleared time in their schedule. The result is a drag, the sound of a revelers who have no idea that it's well past time for them to head on home. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine